Graduate Programs

Peter R. McKillop

Peter R. McKillop was born on July 21, 1972 in Perth, Australia. He grew up in Friday Harbor, Washington on San Juan Island, where he raised sheep, sailed, and hiked. Peter received a B.S. in Geology and B.S. in Economics from the University of Washington in 1995. After graduation he worked in Australia prior to enrolling in the Geology MS program at Utah State University in 1998.

Peter had just started his Master’s thesis field work in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when he died in a climbing fall in King’s Canyon National Park on July 7, 1999. Peter had a wide range of interests, including art, economics, anthropology, and geology. He was an excellent and dedicated teacher. He had a bright smile and cheerfully lived life to its fullest.

The Peter R. McKillop Memorial Scholarship

The Peter R. McKillop Scholarship was developed in honor of Peter, by his advisor, Jim Evans, Susanne Jänecke, and other of his friends. The award will go to a graduate student who, like Peter, has a strong academic record and is not already well funded. Need and demonstrated interest or aptitude in other fields, such as the arts, humanities, community service, or music may be used as a secondary selection criterion.